Review of police use of Firearms Prohibition Order search powers - Issues Paper July 2015

We are currently scrutinising police use of new search without warrant powers and are calling from submissions from the public. In November 2013, amendments made to the Firearms Act 1996 provided police in New South Wales with new search powers to enforce a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO). The new search powers allow police to search (without a warrant) any person subject to an FPO and any premises or vehicle that the person occupies, controls or manages. The powers were introduced to help police find firearms and related items (such as a firearm part or ammunition) that the person is prohibited from having. Police can conduct an FPO search at any time, as long as the search is ‘reasonably required’ to determine whether the person has committed an offence by using a firearm, or by acquiring or possessing a firearm, a firearm part or ammunition. We have released an issues paper which provides information on police use of the FPO search powers in the first ten months of operation. Download our issues paper using the link below.